Camp Duck
by sphinx005
Summary: Completed Part 1 in a 3 part series. Bombay takes the Ducks on the campout after D2. I own nothing!
1. We are the Champions

_**For those of you who were disappointed about Julie & Fulton not getting together in my other fic, I've decided to feel guilty and write this fic. It's the campout after D2. If the dialogue from the movie's wrong, I'm sorry but its coming from the top of my head. Enjoy!**_

We'd done it, we had overcome all the odds and beaten the top seeded team to literally become the champions of the world, well in the Junior Goodwill Games world that is.

Coach Bombay had taken all of us Ducks back to Minnesota for a congratulatory campout near this pond that he used to skate on as a kid. Then unfortunately we had to say goodbye to our new friends and teammates and separate the flock, I was going back to Maine, Luis to Florida, Dwayne to Texas, Portman to Chicago, Kenny back to San Francisco and Russ back to LA.

The other Ducks would be separated in Minnesota in their own way too, Charlie, Connie, Goldberg, Averman, Guy and Fulton were all attending the same middle school, Adam would be attending his private school over in Edina and Jesse was moving away to Philadelphia, much to Goldberg's jealousy.

So here we were all sitting around the campfire telling jokes, ghost stories and reliving the glory of winning the championship game against Iceland. Miss Mackay had been thoughtful enough to bring a few big bags of marshmallows to roast on the fire after dinner.

"Ahhhhh" I heard Goldberg sigh happily as he sat back down with his marshmallow on a stick.

A flash of amber caught my attention as I noticed it was on fire. I was just about to say something when Goldberg realised and yelled.

"argh, argh! Charlie help me!" he screamed as Charlie took the stick off of him and doused the flame out with water from his canteen.

"Goldberg you're not supposed to light it on fire" he scolded as everyone laughed.

Dwayne took the opportunity to start strumming on his guitar again. It was a familiar tune that I couldn't quite place, that was until Averman started singing.

"_I've paid my dues -  
Time after time -  
I've done my sentence  
But committed no crime"_

I looked at Connie next to me who smiled and nodded her head. Averman nodded his head and smiled in approval as the rest of us joined in on the song

"_And bad mistakes  
I've made a few  
I've had my share of sand kicked in my face -  
But I've come through"_

I had to laugh as the Bash Brothers suddenly knelt up on their knees and threw their arms around each others shoulders creating a little mosh pit as they sang

"_And it goes on, and on and on and on"_

I felt Connie's arm slip across my shoulders and I saw that everyone else in the circle was doing it with whomever they were sitting with so I obliged suddenly wishing I was sitting next to Fulton.

Wait! Where did that come from? I stole another glance at the quieter Bash Brother who was displaying an enormous grin as they sang. He must have seen me staring because he turned to look at me and he winked.

Oh my god did he just wink at me or am I imagining things?

Before I could ponder too long Portman had grabbed Averman by the scruff of the neck and had pulled him into the little group. Averman looked scared stiff as the Bash Brothers pounced on him giving him a noogie on his head.

"_We are the champions - my friends  
And we'll keep on fighting - till the end -  
We are the champions -  
We are the champions  
No time for losers  
'Cause we are the champions - of the world"_

The song kinda died after that mainly because no one really knew the words to the rest of the song. The Bashes let Averman go and he adjusted his hair and glasses trying to see straight after the ordeal.

Everyone let go of their buddies, with the exception of Connie and Guy of course, and Jan and Tibbles decided it was time to go to bed. The Ducks protested saying that it was way too early but Bombay had the last word saying that they had another half an hour and then they had to go to bed.

Jan and Tibbles retreated to the tent they were sharing for the night leaving the Ducks, Coach Bombay and Miss Mackay still sitting around the fire.

"So who's up for another ghost story?" Averman asked.

The others groaned, Averman's ghost stories were getting lamer and lamer with each one he told.

I stole another glance at Fulton. It was beautiful the way the fire was creating shadows across his normally pale skin. If I was an artist he would be the perfect muse, I noted as I watched the light breeze blow his dark hair around his face. He wasn't wearing a bandana for a change and he looked good without it.

I quickly looked away when I realised I'd been looking at him for way too long.

"When are you and Portman just gonna get it together?" Connie whispered with a smirk. She was convinced that I had a crush on Portman.

"Never" I replied feeling disgusted at the thought. Sure Portman was a nice enough guy once you get to know him but the whole calling me babe fiasco with the look on his face was enough to put any girl off. I just wish it was Fulton who'd stuck up for me rather than Adam because now I was getting shit from the guys that Adam liked me. God I hope he doesn't.

"Oh come on Jules, you two would be so sweet together" Connie persisted. I'd become fast friends with the girl but it was times like this I just wanted to kill her, maybe I could throw her in the pond. Do you think anyone would notice?

"No we wouldn't now shut up!" I reply half snapping. Guy decided to use some common sense and started tickling Connie to make her forget about what had just happened.

"Argh Guy quit it" she squealed.

I smiled gratefully at him. He seemed to understand that I didn't like Portman any more than a friend.

"Oh god they're at it again, Jules you wanna come sit with us?" Portman yelled moving so that there was a spot open between him and Fulton.

I hesitated for a second before answering, this would only add fuel to Connie's fire but on the other hand I'd get to sit next to Fulton for a while.

"Yes please!" I replied making my mind up. I played it off as a joke when I sat down in between the Bash Brothers pretending that I was as sick of Connie and Guy's DPA's as they were.

"Hey, we're taking bets on Bombay and Miss Mackay. I bet he ends up in her tent by the end of the night" Fulton whispered in my ear making me feel giddy. I could smell the subtle tones of his deodorant and the minty smell of his breath.

"I bet you're right, or she ends up in his tent. Either way the outcome's the same" I managed to get out.

"Ha, hear that Portman even the Cat thinks I'm right" Fulton exclaimed nudging me slightly. I was getting really flustered by his touch by this stage.

"WHAT?" Portman screeched.

He placed his arm around my shoulders, a move that had me rolling my eyes "Julie, Julie, Julie, why would a smart girl like you, side with _him_" he gestured towards Fulton who glared at him. Portman smelled like firewood and cigarettes.

"And what would your bet be?" I asked sweetly wishing he'd remove his arm. I could see Connie practically bouncing on the spot she was so eager to hear what was being said. I tried my best to ignore her. She'd be hell in the tent later.

"I bet they go away from the tents for their little rendezvous" Portman answered.

I had to think about that for a moment, it did sound plausible but it seemed less likely so I grabbed Portman's hand and threw his arm off of me.

"Nah, too risky, I still agree with Fulton" I said smiling shyly at Fulton. He was just too damn hot for words.

"That's my girl!" Fulton exclaimed he must have decided it was now his turn to put his arm around me and give Portman the finger. I didn't mind, it was heaven.

"Aw come on Jules" Portman started giving me the puppy dog look. I've seen him use it on the girls in LA while Fulton just stood around looking bored.

"What? I agree with Fulton" I maintained my composure as Fulton's arm remained where it was.

"Told you she's smart!" Fulton said laughing.

"Okay guys bedtime" Bombay announced as everyone groaned.

"Already? Jeez is this the return of Captain Blood?" Averman joked but his protest was proved useless as he accidentally yawned.

"Yes and Captain Blood says bedtime NOW!" Bombay pretended to yell.

I went to stand up but Fulton dragged me back down.

"Don't go to sleep straight away" he advised.

"Why?" I asked intrigued.

"I'm planning an adventure, I'll come get you in 20 minutes" he said before scratching his head.

"Which tent is yours?" he asked sheepishly.

I had to laugh. "That one" I pointed to the tent where Connie and Guy were making out in front.

"I don't envy you" Fulton said seriously as he stood up. "See you soon" he whispered before walking to his own tent with Portman.

Needless to say I couldn't wait for what was going to happen in 20 minutes time.


	2. Night Walk

_**Thanks guys for the many reviews, I appreciate them. Okay now you're gonna find out what they're up to (with the exception of one thing at the end of the chap). I'll try to update again today but if I don't get a chance I'll definitely do it tomorrow.**_

"Psst Julie" Fulton hissed through the fabric of the tent.

I carefully unzipped the door to the tent to reveal Fulton's face lit up by his torch.

He shone it into our tent and was surprised to see Connie ready to go too.

"You coming?" he asked Connie with a look I couldn't recognise. It looked somewhere between surprise and disappointment.

"Yes! Did you think you could have an adventure without me? I'm hurt Fulton!" Connie pretended to be offended.

"Sorry Cons, can you keep it down otherwise we're gonna get busted" Fulton shushed stepping aside so that we could emerge from the tent.

"So who else is coming?" I whispered to Fulton as he led us down a dirt path.

"Portman, Kenny, Connie who'll most likely go get Guy now, probably Adam now cos he's Guy's tentmate, you and me" Fulton rattled the list off. Averman, Charlie, Jesse, Dwayne, Russ and Goldberg all had no idea the others were going anywhere.

"And where are we going?" I ask shaking my head at Connie who was trying to convince Guy to come along. It was obvious he didn't really want to go anywhere.

"You'll see, it's a surprise" Fulton replied.

I was about to ask another question when I was cut off by Portman's booming voice.

"Its about time Fulton" he said sounding somewhat annoyed.

"Yeah, about that, I think we've added more to the group" Fulton explained to the others who looked a little angry.

"Why'd you go tell Connie for?" Portman accused me.

"I didn't! She wouldn't shut up and go to sleep so she kinda found out we were going somewhere when I didn't get changed for bed" I protest feeling like slugging Portman one. He certainly knows how to make people feel like crap sometimes.

"Whatever" Portman mumbled grabbing a small backpack.

"Hey guys wait up!" Connie almost yelled as she dragged a reluctant Guy behind her.

"SSSSHHH!" the others hissed. Portman shot me another dirty look.

"Does Adam know you're out?" Fulton asked noticing that Adam was nowhere to be seen.

Guy shook his head "For a preppy he snores worse than Charlie, why is this meant to be a secret?"

Guy and Connie were just as confused as I was, why wouldn't anyone tell us what was going on?

"Lets go" Kenny was starting to get impatient with us. I didn't blame him, whatever they had planned seemed kinda big and Connie, Guy and myself were holding them up.

Portman and Kenny took the lead, I must admit it was kinda odd watching the pair walk together. Portman was so tall and muscular and Kenny was so short and fragile looking. I knew very well that Ken wasn't at all that fragile especially after he learned from Russ' older brother how to defend himself.

I almost laugh out loud at the memory of Ken beating up the big goon from Iceland and being sent to the penalty box for it.

"What's so funny?" Fulton whispered in my ear making me jump. I hadn't realised he had been walking next to me the entire time.

"Kenny decking that Iceland idiot" I say after I've gotten over the shock.

"Was pretty sweet huh?" Fulton laughed along with me.

"Yeah" I agreed becoming aware just how close he was walking to me. I could feel the butterflies starting up again.

We continued walking for a few paces and I didn't see the large branch right in front of my feet.

"Omph" my feet stumbled over the branch causing me to fall down. I felt Fulton's hand grab my arm but it was too late. We both ended up on the ground.

"Ouch!" I laughed trying to downplay the embarrassment. At least Fulton had fallen down with me.

"Are you okay?" Fulton asked worriedly shining his torch over my arms and legs looking for any scrapes.

"Yeah are you?" I ask touched by his concern.

"Of course, I'm a Bash Brother" Fulton laughed helping me to my feet.

I didn't reply because I could hear Portman laughing his ass off at me. I hated him so much at that moment. I could feel my cheeks burning with a mixture of embarrassment and anger.

"Shut up Portman, its not that funny" Connie stuck up for she shoving Portman hard.

"Yes it was" I could hear Portman reply with a pout as the others walked past him.

"Here, hang on to me" Fulton offered me his hand.

I stared at it for a second. "I won't bite" he assured me with a smile.

I eventually forced myself to reach out and take his hand. Not because I didn't want to but because I honestly thought I'd faint at his touch. It was becoming ridiculous how much I liked this guy.

His hand felt warm and rough as he softly engulfed my hand in his, not at all like I'd expected it to be. Well I thought it'd be rough since he's a hockey player and all but I thought it'd be cold and his grip would be hard.

I was surprised when he interlocked his fingers with mine reminding me of the way Connie and Guy held hands. Connie and I had actually had a discussion on hand holding in the dorms one night. We agreed that if the fingers were interlocked as mine and Fulton were it meant that the couple liked each other more than a friend and if it was just the palms that were touching like mothers hold their children's hand then it meant you were just friends.

Stupid topic I know but we were incredibly bored that night. I grinned into the darkness as we walked along.

"Fult where are we going?" I leant over and whispered to him. I noted that he had used some cologne before we came. He smelled a little different than what he did at the fire.

"We're going over to that picnic table by the pond to set up then we're gonna wait for half an hour to ensure everyone's asleep then we'll attack" Fulton whispered back squeezing my hand a little.

"Attack?" I was confused.

"Little prank on the rest of the Ducks, paybacks a bitch" Fulton explained a little upset he couldn't get Guy back for what he'd done back in LA.

"I heard about that, Charlie and Guy got you guys good didn't they?" I laughed. Charlie and Guy had pulled a prank on Fulton and Portman that had left them locked outside the dorms in nothing but their boxers and socks. They had to drag Bombay all the way from Malibu to let them back in.

Fulton nodded "Yeah and now its their turn to suffer"

"So what's the plan?" I asked as we reached the pond.

"Lots of plans" Portman answered for Fulton as he slammed the backpack on the table with a thud.

"Let's hear them" Guy spoke up. I got the feeling that he was incredibly glad Connie had convinced him to come along. He obviously realised that he was a target of this prank war.

"Averman and Goldberg, deathly afraid of snakes" Portman started as he pulled out several rubber snakes. I had to admit for a lame prank, some of those snakes actually looked real. I knew Goldberg and Averman were going to freak.

"Russ and Dwayne are afraid of spiders so we're gonna set their tents up with fake spider webs and spiders" Portman continued. I hoped this wasn't the start of a trend here.

"Charlie and Jesse have the best one coming" Portman grinned evilly. "Actually it's a good thing you guys came, we're gonna need the manpower"

"and womanpower" Connie exclaimed.

"Whatever" Portman waived her away.

As he outlined the plan I had to admit this was evil genius. It was definitely something that Charlie and Jesse deserved for all of their practical jokes on the team during the games.

I couldn't wait to get started on it.


	3. Executing the Plan

Sorry guys, I would have updated again yesterday but I got a phone call from my boyfriend asking me to meet him in the emergency room at the hospital – he'd put a drill bit through his finger at work (ouch!)

_**But anyway you don't really wanna hear about that so I'm gonna get on with it!**_

_**BTW – thanks for the reviews!**_

We made our way back to the campsite and I must admit I was a little disappointed when Fulton decided to walk with Kenny and Portman.

I had been assigned with Connie and Guy to cover Russ and Dwayne's tent with fake spiderwebs whilst the other guys did Goldberg and Averman's tent. Luis had struck it lucky (in a way I suppose) by having to share with Bombay.

"Have you got the stuff?" I asked Guy. Portman was in one of his sexist moods that night and declared that Guy would be the least likely to lose the gear in the woods. Both Connie and I had punched him hard for that.

Guy nodded "Be careful with it, its really sticky"

Connie and I rolled our eyes, _duh!_

Okay, that one's theirs" Guy pointed to a green tent on the outskirts of the group.

I looked to my left and saw Fulton, Kenny and Portman sneaking over to a purple tent with the snakes in hand.

"Okay Julie you take that end, Connie you do the middle and I'll do the other end" Guy instructed.

"Wait!" Guy stopped suddenly.

"What?" Connie and I hissed.

"Cons don't do that entrance yet, I'm gonna leave them a surprise inside the tent" Guy said kneeling down by the rear entrance.

My heart was in my throat as he unzipped the tent. None of us had any clue whether Russ or Dwayne were heavy sleepers or not and I was praying it wasn't the latter otherwise we'd be busted big time.

"Come on Jules hurry up!" Connie urged me to keep going.

I did as she requested and Guy came crawling out of the tent with a grin on his face. He hadn't woken the boys up.

Guy got to work on his side of the tent and in no time the tent looked like some freakish monster spider had weaved its web all over it.

"Nice!" Fulton whispered behind me making me jump out of my skin.

"Quit doing that!" I scolded slapping him on the arm.

"Sorry" he whispered again lowering his head.

I felt so guilty for hitting him but before I could say anything Portman came running over.

"Bombay's up" he hissed as we all bolted for the safety of the trees surrounding the campsite.

My heart once again found its way into my throat as we watched from the trees. I was crouched down as low as I could go and I was starting to feel a cramp in my left leg.

"Shh! Get down further, he can see our heads" Guy hissed.

I moved so that I was lying on my stomach peering through the branches of a bush. I could feel a heavy weight on my left shoulder.

I glanced over to see Fulton leaning on me straining to see through the gap I was right in front of.

Then I could feel a weight on my right shoulder and looked to see Portman doing the same thing.

If I could have yelled at him I certainly would have as he pressed his face right up next to mine unnecessarily. I could smell the scent of stale cigarettes on his breath and closed as he breathed heavily next to me.

God I hope Connie doesn't see this, she's already convinced that there's something going on between us.

I moved my head to the left and almost headbutted Fulton.

"Sorry" I whispered

"Its okay, am I too heavy?" Fulton asked concerned.

"No but he is" I reply indicating to Portman who was still watching Bombay with great interest.

"Sorry about him" Fulton apologised for his friend.

"Guys this is it" Portman whispered excitedly unaware that Fulton and Julie hadn't been watching.

I felt a hand snake around my waist, that had better be Fulton's hand otherwise Portman was going to be leaving camp minus his nuts.

I turned my attention back to the scene at the campsite just in time to see Miss Mackay open her tent to let Coach Bombay in.

"Score! We win! Suck shit Portman" Fulton whispered smugly.

"Hey they could leave the tent. You haven't won yet" Portman argued.

"We don't want them to leave the tent" Kenny piped up "We want them to go to sleep!"

Guy looked annoyed. "Shit how are we gonna get Charlie and Jesse back now" he asked.

"Give them a little while, although if they're too busy with each other they might not hear us. Charlie's tent is a fair way away" Connie pointed out.

I looked from Miss Mackay's tent to the grey tent under the tree where Charlie and Jesse had set up. Charlie had raced ahead of the others earlier to pick out the best spot. He argued that the tree would block the early morning sun. Soon he's gonna realise what a big mistake that was.

"So what are we gonna do?" I asked turning a little so that my back was up against Fulton. I was pleased to find out that hand was indeed his.

Connie looked over at me and glanced down at the hand that was now resting on my hip. I could see her eyes light up and she was about to say something when Ken cut her off.

"I reckon ten minutes then we hit otherwise it'll be too late"

The others agreed. It sounded like a good enough plan. Who knew what Bombay and Miss Mackay were getting up to in that tent.

"Guys what if Charlie or Jesse wake up?" Connie asked her eyes darting from Fulton's hand to the group and back again.

"Trust me he wont" Portman replied with a tone that sounded purely evil.

"Why? What have you done?" I asked intrigued to know what his answer would be.

"Lets just say our buddy Ken over there has a pharmacist for a dad" Portman replied with a smirk. They'd covered all bases with this prank.

"What did you give them?" I asked Ken unsure as to whether I should be worried or not. Who knew what Portman instructed him to give them.

"Its okay, just a little sleep medication in their hot chocolate" Ken replied easing my mind a little. Ken wouldn't hurt someone deliberately, even if he was under pressure from Portman.

"Oh" I reply softly.

"Its okay, its nothing harmful" Fulton whispered in my ear as he squeezed his hand on my hip slightly to reassure me.

I nodded accepting his answer.

"Okay guys showtime!" Ken announced as we made our way towards Charlie and Jesse's tent.


	4. Strung Up

_**Okay, I was gonna make you guys suffer with another chapter of not telling you what Charlie & Jesse's prank was but I'm not really that evil so here it is………..**_

I reluctantly got up from my spot next to Fulton as we broke into our teams.

Fulton, Ken and me on one team and Portman Guy and Connie on the other.

We made our way over to the tent where Charlie and Jesse were deep in slumber thanks to Ken's "special" hot chocolate mix. I could hear them snoring a good ten metres away. It was a good thing they chose a spot away from everyone else.

"You're damn lucky you're not sharing with Conway" Portman grumbled at Guy who gave him a toothy grin.

"What can I say? I was born lucky" Guy replied kissing Connie on the cheek.

"Whatever" Portman replied. It seemed to be his favourite comeback tonight.

Portman reached into the backpack and pulled out two of Dwayne's lassos. He then handed one to Fulton.

They each placed the loop around their middles, the Bash Brothers were to be the anchors for this little prank.

Kenny's job was to loop the other end of the rope over the thick low set branch of the tree and through the top corner of the tent peak and to secure a second rope to the corner of the tent.

Guy's job was to do the same on the other side.

Connie and I had the job of carefully pulling out the tent pegs and keeping the flysheet straight. For it to work the tent had to look exactly like it did on the ground.

I looked up at the tree and noticed something shiny sticking out of the branch. I shone my torch on it, it looked like one of those fasteners that had two prongs sticking out that you wind the rope around in a figure eight.

"What is that?" I whispered to Fulton who looked at what it was pointing at.

"Its what's gonna hold the ropes in place" Fulton replied.

"Yeah I know but what is it doing up there?" I asked amazed that the tree would just conveniently have something like that ready for our attack.

"Portman and I hammered them up there when you guys went exploring earlier" Fulton replied seeming proud of himself.

"Wow!" I must have given the reaction he was looking for as his grin grew wider. I couldn't believe the lengths they'd gone to for this joke.

"Guy says we're ready on that side" Connie came running over to us.

"Tell him we're ready too. Jules can you do the count of three?" Fulton asked me.

I nodded. As I held my torch up so they could see my hand.

I held up one finger.

Followed by two fingers.

Followed by three.

On the count of three Portman and Fulton both started moving forward until the tent started rising. Ken and Guy were both up the tree on opposite ends of the branch waiting for the slack to tighten before fastening the first rope to the branch.

Connie and I had the task of making sure the bottom held intact which meant that we had to support Charlie and Jesse's weight. It was hard at first when they were positioned on the opposite sides of the tent but as the tent went higher they rolled into the middle coming together. Connie simply took one end and I took the other.

Neither boy showed any signs of waking up nor did they move.

Once the tent was high enough Ken and Guy secured the first rope. Then I had to help Fulton remove the loop from his middle. I must admit it was kinda of something I was looking forward too.

Connie had to do the same with Portman but judging by the look on her face when I told her we had to do it she wasn't too keen on the idea at all.

"You ready?" I asked Fulton. His face was beginning to show signs of physical exertion.

Fulton nodded as he held on to me for support.

I placed my hands on the rope around his waist and gently started moving it up to his shoulders. I glanced up at Ken who was taking the weight of the rope. The second part of securing the tent in place was wrapping the second rope around the branch and tying it up just in case the first rope failed. We weren't trying to kill Charlie and Jesse after all.

"Are you okay?" I whispered to Fulton.

He simply nodded.

I continued lifting the rope over his head and held it up waiting for Ken to take it off of my hands.

I could feel the burn of Fulton's eyes watching me but I couldn't bring myself to look at him yet. If I did I knew I'd drop the rope.

Ken finally took the rope from me and I put my arms down finally having the courage to look at Fulton.

"Thanks Jules" Fulton replied touching my cheek.

I'm glad it was kinda dark because I knew I was blushing.

"You're welcome" I eventually replied not wanting that moment to end.

We were interrupted by Ken climbing down the tree.

"That should hold it" he announced oblivious to whatever it was that was going on between me and Fulton a second ago.

"Good" Fulton replied snapping out of it.

"Gotta run" Connie whispered to me as she shot past. We all stared after her wondering what on earth she was on about.

"I'm gonna get you" we heard Portman threaten.

I really wished I hadn't turned because Connie had dacked Portman and he was standing there in a pair of briefs with his pants around his ankles.

"Oh that is something I did not want to see" I say turning away quickly.

"Sure Julie" Portman replied as he tried to run after Connie but hadn't quite pulled his pants up in time. He fell flat on his face with his butt up in the air.

I heard the other boys burst out laughing and I turned around to see the sight. As scary as it was, it was also completely hilarious as I too started laughing.

"SHHH!" Ken eventually scolded us through tears of laughter in his eyes.

We had to shut up otherwise someone was going to hear us.

"Let's go" Fulton suggested picking up any leftover supplies and shoving them into Portman's backpack. We didn't want to get busted over something stupid like leaving the evidence behind.

We followed the direction Connie took which led us to the other side of the campsite and closer to our tents. The time had come when we all had to go to bed.

Guy had caught up to Connie and the two were now having another goodnight make out session.

Portman and Ken retired to their tent but Fulton pulled me back.

"Hey, thanks for helping out" he whispered.

"Anytime, it was fun" I replied truthfully.

We fell into an uncomfortable silence. I had no idea what to say to him.

"Well goodnight Jules" Fulton whispered leaning in and kissing my cheek.

"Night" I mumbled unable to wipe the stupid grin off of my face.

He retreated back to his tent leaving me standing there dumbfounded. His lips felt so soft against my skin.

I finally found my feet and made my way back to my own tent where Connie was waiting to hear the gossip.

I promised her I'd tell her tomorrow and rolling over I fell asleep with a smile on my face.


	5. Busted

"AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH"

That was the sound I woke up to. For a second I was wondering what the hell was happening but then I remembered the pranks we'd pulled last night.

Connie sat upright being startled into waking up by Averman's screams.

"Help meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" came next as I recognised the voice as being Goldbergs.

Grinning at each other we ripped the tent open and watched the outcome of our hard work the previous night.

We were greeted by the sight of Averman sprinting across the campsite with a snake at his heels.

"What on earth?" I manage to spit out whilst laughing. It looked like the snake was taking a bite out of his butt with every step.

I looked across to Fulton, Ken and Portman's tents who had the same idea as us. The three Bash Brothers were watching the scene unfold with great delight.

"AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHH! SPIDERS!" our attention was drawn to Dwayne and Russ' tent.

I had to see this one up close.

"Come on lets go see!" I suggest to Connie who grinned at me. She wasted no time in leaping out of the tent behind me.

I became aware of Portman laughing as we ran and looked down to realise we were still in our pyjamas. I briefly thought about getting dressed but decided against it when I saw the boys emerging from their tent wearing nothing more than a pair of shorts and a singlet.

Man Fulton's got a nice body I happily thought as Connie tugged on my arm

"Come on!" she protested ignoring the calls from Guy who had woken up.

"What on Earths going on?" Tibbles called from his tent.

I wish I hadn't looked now, his hair was sticking up and he was wearing these horrible silk pyjamas that were a little bit too tight for him.

At least Jan had enough sense to put a robe on.

We simply shrugged trying to contain our laughter as we raced over to Dwayne and Russ' tent.

They had unzipped their tent but hadn't come out after seeing the masses of spider webs covering both entrances.

We peered in and could see them cowering in one corner with a massive black spider in the opposite corner.

I really felt sorry for them. It was obvious they were scared out of their minds.

Fulton must have felt guilty too as he stepped forward.

"I'll get you guys out" he announced shooting Portman a dirty look when he thumped Fulton's arm in protest. That guy is such a jerk!

"I'll help" I followed Fulton's lead.

Connie, Guy and Ken also stepped forward. That left Portman who was annoyed that this prank had turned bad and Adam who was rubbing his eyes in disbelief. He had no idea what was going on.

I glanced at Adam. He had no idea how incredibly lucky he was that Connie had woken Guy up. God knows what the Bashes had planned to do to them.

We spent a good ten minutes picking the spider webs off of the tent and once the entrance was free Russ and Dwayne shot out. They were both visibly shaking.

"Thanks guys you saved our lives!" Dwayne spoke through deep breaths.

I've never felt so guilty in my entire life.

"Don't thank us" Fulton replied.

Russ and Dwayne didn't answer. They were too busy staring at Charlie and Jesse's tent.

"Why is their tent in the air like that?" Dwayne asked rubbing his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

Portman lost his composure and started laughing.

Russ looked at him through narrow eyes. He was realising what was going on.

Oh crap! We're busted.

Russ headed towards his tent and climbed in. I knew what he was doing.

Fulton glanced at me. He knew what was happening too.

"Very funny guys" Russ emerged with the huge black spider.

Dwayne's eyes grew wide in fear.

"Russ" he began.

"It's a fake Dwayne. They've played a prank on us" Russ replied.

Dwayne's face fell. It was heartbreaking to watch. I felt so guilty.

"A prank?" he said softly.

"Paybacks a bitch ain't it" Portman grinned stupidly.

"Yeah alright you got me" Russ replied.

"Payback?" Dwayne was confused.

"Sorry Cowboy, you get pranked by association. You can thank Russy boy for that" Portman answered.

"Dude don't call me Russy Boy" Russ was a little pissed off. Not that I blame him.

"What on earth is going on here?" Coach Bombay demanded to know. He was staring at Charlie and Jesse's tent.

He looked at Fulton and Portman who honestly looked guilty.

"I see, a little payback for LA" Coach Bombay realised. He had to admit Charlie and Jesse definitely had it coming but as the adult, he had to punish them.

"Right, I'm guessing you lot had something to do with it too" he gestured to Julie, Connie, Guy, Adam and Ken who all hung their heads, with the exception of Adam. He grew defensive.

"Hey I didn't do anything!" he protested.

"Yeah Coach he didn't" Connie stuck up for the cake-eater.

"Okay, then you seven" he indicated to the rest of us.

"Wow!" he was interrupted by Luis who'd heard the commotion.

"Guys will you all shut up! I have a headache" Charlie's grumpy voice rang out from the airborne tent.

"Um Charlie" Coach Bombay tried to warn him before he opened the tent and got out but it was too late.

"Ow!" Charlie complained when he fell the short distance to the ground.

"Are you alright?" Coach Bombay rushed forward. The entire team knew that Charlie was his favourite.

"Yeah I landed on something soft" Charlie realised that the pranksters had left a pile of leaves right where they anticipated the landing to be.

"See we didn't want to kill him" Portman opened his mouth.

"Jesse?" Bombay yelled.

"GO away mom!" Jesse yelled back as the group could see him roll over.

"Jesse time to wake up!" Coach Bombay continued.

Jesse stuck his head out of the tent.

"Whoah! Why yous all down there?" he asked sleepily. It hadn't clicked that he was in the air.

"This tent feels all wobbly" Jesse continued wondering why there wasn't anything solid beneath him.

"Oh" he added when he saw the faces of the other Ducks.

"I hate you guys" he directed the comment to Portman and Fulton who wore grins on their faces.

The smile on Fulton's face was definitely worth any trouble I'd get into.

"Be careful getting down. Aim for that pile of leaves" Bombay instructed thinking it would be better to get the boy out of the tent first before removing the ropes.

Jesse did as was told but decided to show off and do a somersault out of the tent to land on his back.

Connie rolled her eyes. It wasn't really that impressive.

"Coach someone tied a snake to my foot" Averman approached the group holding a rubber snake in his hand.

Coach Bombay looked at the Bash Brothers.

"Was there anyone you didn't prank?" he asked suddenly feeling very afraid.

"You Coach" Portman gave him a toothy grin.

Bombay had to laugh at that.

"Come on lets get that tent down" Jan instructed getting us all moving.

It was easier getting the thing down than getting it up, especially with the help of more people.

As part of our punishment we had to put the tent up properly.

I'd hate to think what the other parts were going to be. Oh well it would be fun if it meant spending time with Fulton.


	6. Outsiders

We soon learned that Coach Bombay wasn't exactly ruthless when it came to handing out punishment.

He appointed Connie and Ken to cooking duties for the rest of the trip, Fulton and I to dishes duty and Portman and Guy had clean up duty. Not exactly back breaking stuff, especially after experiencing his wrath with the Captain Blood practices.

The other Ducks were kind of pissed off with us too. Especially Russ and Dwayne. Averman had eventually seen the funny side of tying a snake to his foot after a few hours of sulking and had told us that he was going to use that in the future to scare his brothers.

Charlie was annoyed that he was pranked and Guy wasn't, especially since it was Guy's idea to lock Fulton and Portman out of the dorms back in LA and Jesse was too upset about moving to bother with being mad at us about pranks.

So basically outside the group that got busted, Averman, Banks and Jesse were the only ones talking to us. I didn't mind though, I hadn't really bonded with any of those guys anyway and Fulton was the one I wanted to hang out with.

"Wanna go check out the pond for a while?" Connie asked Guy, Fulton, Portman and Ken. The others had all gone off somewhere and hadn't bothered to invite us.

Oh well I didn't care.

"Yeah okay" I replied hoping that Fulton would agree to come too.

I stole a glance at him and was relieved to find he wanted to come too. Connie must have seen it because when I looked back at her she was giving me a knowing smirk.

Oh shit! She's gonna want to know the gossip now, especially after I promised her I'd tell her today.

"C'mon Cat lets go!" Fulton tugged on my arm.

The group ended up being comprised of Connie and Guy and Fulton and myself. At least Guy could keep Connie entertained.

Portman and Ken decided that exploring on the other side of the camp would be more fun than going to the pond.

"I wonder where the others went?" I must have been thinking out loud because Connie responded with

"Who cares?"

"I care" I heard Guy mutter. I looked up in time to see that Connie too had heard it and she wasn't happy.

"Its not like we were invited anyway" Connie spat at him.

Guy retreated back as if she was venomous.

"And who's fault is that?" he'd set himself up. I glanced across at Fulton who seemed to be expecting what was coming.

"If you want to get technical its _your fault_" Connie yelled.

"How is it my fault? You are just as much to blame!" Guy yelled back.

"Because it was _you_ who pranked the Bashes in LA you idiot!" Connie screamed.

"Don't call me an idiot! You're the one who woke me up last night" Guy was obviously used to arguing with Connie.

To tell you the truth this was getting scary. I'd been lucky enough to avoid witnessing one of the famous Connie and Guy fights.

"Come on, they'll be at this for hours" I felt Fulton's breath on my ear and I shivered, not expecting to find him so close.

He led me away from the fight that was getting bigger and bigger by the second. Neither Connie or Guy seemed to notice us leaving and to be honest it was fine by me.

"Sorry I got you into trouble last night" Fulton turned to me giving me a shy look.

"_You_ didn't get me into trouble, I could have said no" I replied thinking it was so adorable how he was being so considerate.

"Did you want to say no?" Fulton asked slyly.

I shook my head "Nah it was too much fun to pass up" I replied smiling at him.

"I'm glad you had fun" Fulton replied putting his arm around my shoulders.

"Me too" I decided to continue the trend and I moved my arm to rest around his waist.

Fulton squeezed me in closer as we walked towards the pond. It felt good to be with him like this.

We walked in silence the rest of the way to the pond in each others arms. Once there he cleared a spot for us to sit down next to the water. Funnily enough there were some ducks bobbing on the water.

He shifted so that I could sit in between his legs with my back resting on his chest. The butterflies in my stomach were growing by the second. I almost burst out with excitement when he rested his chin on my shoulder. I'd never liked a boy even half as much as I liked Fulton and it looked like he liked me back.

"You looking forward to heading home?" he asked me after a while. To be honest I hadn't been thinking much about it.

"I guess so, my teams not half as fun as you guys though" I replied staring out to the water.

"Its not gonna be half as fun here without you" Fulton whispered making me smile.

"Do you really mean that?" I asked. I couldn't believe this was happening. I was hoping that maybe he'd kiss me but at the same time freaking out. What if I was a bad kisser? He'd hate me and tell the rest of the team about it.

"Of course Jules" he replied.

I felt his lips softly kiss my cheek. I head a soft sigh escape from my lips.

Oh my god! I can't believe I just did that! He's gonna think I'm a complete fuckhead now.

I could feel my face start to burn and I was hoping that I wasn't turning as red as I felt like I was.

"Julie?" Fulton had pulled his face away from mine.

"Yeah?" I answer hesitantly. I was convinced he hated me now.

"I have something to tell you" he replied.

I turned around and looked at him. I noticed a little blush creeping across his cheeks. It was so cute.

"What is it?" I replied softly my eyes transfixed on his shy smile.

"I um…. I like you….. a lot" he finished his sentence and looked at the ground obviously embarrassed. The blush had grown deeper.

I was flustered. It was what I had been dreaming about.

It was now my turn. I saw Fulton's eyes move from watching the ground to look at me.

"I like you too" I replied softly giving him a shy smile of my own. I couldn't believe I'd just admitted to him that I liked him. I'd never ever done that before.

"Good" he said laughing nervously.

I decided that this would be a day of firsts as I moved a little closer to him. I stopped just short of his face and waited for his reaction.

He smiled and moved closer.

I closed my eyes in anticipation. I felt his lips touch mine briefly before we were interrupted by that stupid Duck whistle.

We broke apart looking around like startled rabbits. We looked over towards the trees and saw the group of Ducks that weren't speaking to us. My eyes rested on Charlie who didn't look very happy at all.

Averman looked quite proud and Goldberg looked disgusted, not because of Fulton and I liking each other, but because he had to witness us kissing.

"Coach wants us at the camp" Charlie finally spoke.

It didn't take a genius to detect the hostility in his voice. He was really pissed at us now. Surely he couldn't be that upset over a little prank could he?

"Okay" Fulton replied standing up. He'd obviously noticed Charlie's attitude too.

"Guys no more kissing in front of us okay? Connie and Guy are bad enough!" Goldberg joked after the others had turned around to leave.

Only Averman and Banks laughed. The others were still upset about being pranked.

"You know I heard Charlie was like that when he was rounding up the Ducks to meet Tibbles and saw Connie and Guy about to kiss. I don't know what his problem is but if he's rude to you again I'm gonna kick his ass" Fulton told me as he offered me his hand as help to get up.

I had to laugh, it's gonna be cool having a Bash Brother as a boyfriend. No one will want to mess with me!

Wait, how can he be my boyfriend if he lives in Minnesota and I live in Maine? Its gonna be way too hard.

"You okay Kitty?" he asked giving me a quick hug before we started walking back to camp.

"Yeah, just sad about leaving that's all" I replied. I conveniently left out the part about him being my boyfriend.

Get a grip Gaffney, you two have shared one tiny little kiss. It doesn't mean you're going to get married or something.

"Me too, its gonna be hard having my girlfriend live in Maine" he replied as if he was reading my mind.

I stared at him in shock "Am I your girlfriend?" I asked hopefully.

"Yeah, if you want to be" Fulton replied showing me his smile.

"Of course I want to be" I almost scream. It took every ounce of strength I had to stop myself from jumping up and down.

"Good" he replied kissing me on the forehead.

We held hands all the way back to the camp ignoring the teasing from the other Ducks, especially Portman and Averman.

We took a seat next to Connie and Goldberg. Apparently Connie and Guy hadn't made up because Guy was sitting next to Jan and he didn't look happy at all.

"Okay Ducks I have a huge announcement to make!" Coach Bombay started.


	7. Announcements & Break Ups

As I sat in the group watching Bombay, I honestly thought this big announcement would be that he wasn't going to tolerate any more pranks and that we should all get along with one another.

I totally wasn't expecting what he had to say next.

"I received a phone call from my old high school biology teacher" Bombay started.

"Don't tell us, you're leaving us to perform autopsies for a living?" Averman squinted as if he was trying to read Bombay's mind.

Bombay looked slightly horrified at Averman's suggestion at him wanting to cut up dead people for a living.

What the hell goes through that kids mind?

Averman grinned at the group and I found myself smiling back at him. Well he is one of the few Ducks that had actually forgiven us for pulling a prank on him.

"No" Bombay replied. Surely he had to be expecting interruptions from the Ducks. I got the feeling some of them were born to interrupt important announcements.

I felt Fulton squeeze my hand. I stole a glance at him and found him watching Bombay, obviously wanting to find out what this was all about.

"Anyway, my old high school biology teacher called me and it turns out he is now the Dean of my old high school, Eden Hall Academy. Have any of you heard of it?" Bombay asked.

"Do we look like a bunch of preppy snobs coach?" Goldberg asked.

"With the exception of Banksie" Portman laughed. A few of the others giggled.

"Adam, have you heard of Eden Hall?" Bombay ignored the preppy comments.

Adam nodded "Yeah, my dad checked it out along with a few other schools in the area" he admitted.

The poor guy looked so embarrassed.

"Cake-Eater!" Jesse blurted out with a huge grin. This time all of the Ducks had to laugh.

"Okay, here's the big news" Bombay paused for effect. This guy was so damn cheesy sometimes. I wish he would just get on with whatever this "big" news was.

"Just say it coach!" Charlie had a huge grin on his face. Obviously he knew what was going on.

Figures. It was plainly obvious that Charlie was his favourite. Not that I minded, Charlie was a great leader and everyone else seemed to look up to him, even Fulton and Portman.

"Okay, Eden Hall has offered each and every one of you a full athletic scholarship to attend the Academy".

There. Coach had dropped the bombshell on us.

"That's like free right?" Russ spoke up. I knew he was seriously considering taking up the offer. I saw his neighbourhood in South Central, Los Angeles and it appeared to be one of those neighbourhoods where if you breathed in the direction of the wrong person you'd end up being shot or stabbed.

"Duh!" Fulton laughed from next to me.

I looked over at him to see he was grinning back at me. Then I realised what this meant.

We could actually have a shot at staying together.

I tried to be as enthusiastic as possible on the exterior but inside I knew I'd have a fight on my hands to be allowed to move to Minnesota to go to school.

My mother had her heart set on me attending Bangor Grammar, the school where the elite of Maine studied. Social status was quite important to her.

"This is awesome! You can come to Minnesota for good now" I heard Fulton telling Portman. I knew he was thinking the same thing about me.

"Yeah but dude, preppy school" Portman didn't sound too keen on the idea.

"Do y'all think I'd be allowed to wear my hat?" Dwayne asked looking fearful at the prospect of being forced to remove his beloved hat.

"Yes Dwayne" Connie replied sweetly.

Dwayne smiled broader than I'd ever seen it go. He had such a crush on Connie.

I glanced at Guy who looked really mad. He glared at Connie before turning to talk to Charlie who had obviously forgiven him for being in on the pranks.

"What's going on there?" Fulton nudged me and indicated to Connie and Guy.

I shrugged "I guess they didn't make up this time"

"They will soon, poor Dwayne though. He's hopelessly in love with Connie" Fulton replied squeezing my hand again.

"I know" I reply not really in the mood to talk right now.

"Are you okay?" Fulton asked concerned. I guess he could tell I sounded a little unenthused.

"Yeah, just shocked that's all" I replied trying to downplay my lack of excitement. I mean it would be great to be able to go to Eden Hall with the Ducks but my mother would never go for it. There simply was no point in getting my hopes up.

"I know but its gonna be pretty cool having you around more" Fulton said. I knew I should have felt happy he said that but I honestly felt like crying. It would be just my like that I finally found a boy that I really liked and he liked me back and my stupid mother was going to keep us apart.

I settled for nodding. I couldn't bring myself to speak.

I could tell he was about to take me away from the group to talk when Connie flopped down beside me after flirting shamelessly with Dwayne.

Connie sighed loudly. I knew something was up with her.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

Connie looked from me to Fulton and back again before replying.

"Guy and I broke up" she sighed again.

"I'm sorry, are you okay?" I asked gently. I knew Connie and Guy had been together for quite some time.

"Yeah, I never noticed how cute Dwayne was" she turned and winked at Dwayne who I thought was going to have a heart attack.

"Careful Cons, he thinks the sun shines out of your ass" Fulton warned. He didn't want to see the Cowboy get hurt, he was too nice for that.

"At least someone thinks that" Connie ignored Fulton's warning. I had to admit, Fulton was right. Connie would most likely use Dwayne to make Guy jealous and then ditch Dwayne the second Guy takes her back. I saw her try to use this tactic with Luis at the beginning of the Goodwill Games.

Fulton rolled his eyes and I had to stifle a laugh. Connie certainly used her looks to her advantage sometimes. It wasn't like she purposely set out to hurt guys it just happened that way.

"Guy's boring anyway" she continued oblivious to Fulton's disinterest.

"I think you should at least wait a day before you start anything with another guy" I advise.

Connie looked at me horrified. Oops I think I just put my foot in my mouth.

"Whatever" she snapped before stomping off. She didn't get very far before Bombay informed her that it was time for her and Ken to start dinner.

"Poor Kenny, she's gonna be such a pain to work with now that she's pissed off" Fulton whispered.

I could see Connie grab Ken by his shirt and drag him over to the area that had been set up as the 'kitchen'. Basically it was a portable gas stove set up in the middle of a square of coolers that acted as "walls".

Thank god we were going home tomorrow.

A/N – sorry the announcement wasn't all that 'earth shattering' but we all know that Eden Hall comes after the Goodwill Games and obviously Bombay doesn't tell anyone (except Casey) that he wont be the coach until he tells Charlie at the start of D3.

I think I might turn this fic into a little 'trilogy' – the first being at the camp, the second in Bangor with Julie and the third one at Eden Hall. What do you guys think?


	8. Arguments & Water Fights

After a surprisingly unburned dinner of hotdogs and hamburgers it was mine and Fulton's turn for our punishment.

Connie hadn't spoken to me throughout the entire dinner only pausing her flirting with Dwayne to glare in either my direction or Guy's. Guy didn't seem to care anymore, he was too busy with Charlie and Jesse.

"She'll come around" I heard Fulton whisper in my ear as he held up a sponge and a dish rag.

"Wash or dry?" he asked.

I took the sponge and opted for washing. My mother always said that men could never clean dishes properly. Not that I ever listened to anything she had to say.

Fulton graciously loaded up the dirty dishes next to the wide, shallow tub that was our sink and spread a towel out on the other side ready for me to put the washed dishes on. I never knew he was so domesticated.

Hmmmm he might be a keeper.

"You know all you need is a frilly pink apron and you'd be the perfect little housemaid" I joked needing an outlet to smile. Connie and her dirty looks are starting to wear me down.

"Yeah I look sexy in anything!" Fulton struck a ridiculous pose and almost tripped himself over.

I laughed hard for the first time in what seemed like forever but in reality was only a few hours. This trip definitely had its ups, being that I finally got to kiss the sexiest Bash Brother, but it also had its downs, ie the Ducks being mad at us and Connie blowing her stack over something so stupid. Oh well I guess I'd better get used to it if I'm going to do everything in my power to go to Eden Hall instead of Bangor Grammar.

"See I can be funny too!" Fulton tried to cover up his lack of co-ordination on the grass with a joke.

"Yes you can sweetie" I reply laughing again. He really was so sweet to try and cheer me up like this.

I decided to finally get started by pouring some water from a bottle into the tub and putting a little bit of dishwashing liquid in. Coach Bombay had warned us about using too much detergent and killing the grass and/or the wildlife in the pond. Funny, he said the same thing about using patterned and coloured toilet paper too. Where did he come up with this stuff?

Fulton apparently had nothing better to do than poke me as I was trying to wash a frypan. I seriously contemplated whacking him over the head with it but he was too cute for that. If it was Portman however, I'd have no problem.

I managed to get the frypan and the rest of the dishes done without further incident. As I was tipping the water out of the tub, I decided on a little payback for the poking and poured the rest of the water from the bottle over Fulton's head when he'd dried and packed the last dish.

"ARGH!" he screamed not expecting it. At least I'd been a little lenient by not pouring the dirty dishwater over him. That would have been too gross and then I'd have to smell it when he tried to get even.

I started running in the first direction my legs would take me. I ignored the cries of "hey" and "outta the way" when I ran straight through a game of touch football the others were playing.

"Julie Gaffney I'm gonna get you so bad!" I could hear Fulton yelling behind me following by laughter of the other Ducks. It must have looked funny for the others seeing a dripping wet Bash Brother chasing their backup goalie across their game.

I kept running but eventually the image of him chasing me that I'd conjured up in my mind proved too much as I started laughing hysterically and losing my footing. Tripping over myself I caused the rest of the Ducks to laugh even harder and Fulton had now caught up with me.

"You're dead Gaffney" he laughed squishing himself on top of me so that the water from his clothes was dripping on me.

"Geez Fult you weigh a tonne" I joked trying to move him. He wouldn't budge instead he brought his head down to mine and gave me a kiss.

I could feel myself blushing when I heard the cries of "Gross!" and "Get a room" from the others.

"You're just jealous I get to kiss the Cat" Fulton retorted looking incredibly proud of himself.

"Well Guy gets to kiss Connie" Averman pointed out. As per usual, I don't think he knew what the point of that statement was.

"Not anymore he doesn't" Connie blurted out angrily.

I shot my head up to see what the reaction to that was but I accidentally bumped head with Fulton instead.

"Ouch!" we both cried at the same time rubbing our foreheads.

I sat up to see the rest of the Ducks looking at us for a split second before returning to Connie who had her hands on her hips looking like she was ready to rip Guy's throat out.

"Oh this should be good" Fulton whispered as he kissed my forehead to _make it better _as he put it.

"We're over for good Guy Germaine!" Connie screamed at such a volume that several birds nesting in the trees decided to scamper, flying off in search of a quieter destination.

Lucky things.

"And you think I care Connie Moreau? You're off with Cowboy the first chance you get because he's the only one who gives a damn!" Guy yelled back at an even greater volume level than Connie.

I gasped in shock. That was way harsh and I've never heard Guy yell like that before. It was frightening in a way that you now know never to get him angry with you.

Fulton subconsciously wrapped his arms around me even tighter. Even though he was still wet he felt safe and warm.

Before Connie could reply Coach Bombay wisely called us back to camp to light the fire before the sun went down completely.

"I think I need to change" Fulton grinned at me.

"Me too" I replied half hoping Connie would be in the tent by the time I got back there so I could tell her that what Guy said wasn't true, we all gave a damn about her.

Connie pushed past Dwayne who was trying to comfort her and ran ahead of everyone back to camp. I could tell that blow had crushed her, especially with it coming from Guy who had been her friend since they were in diapers and her boyfriend since pee-wees.

We arrived at camp to find only Bombay, Miss Mackay, Jan and Tibbles there. Connie was nowhere in sight. I reluctantly let go of Fulton's hand as we reached my tent.

"I'll see you later" he wriggled his eyebrows at me trying to get me to smile.

I managed a small one and nodded. He seemed happy with that as he walked off towards his own tent.

"Connie?" I asked softly as I unzipped the tent.

"Go away" Connie replied.

I shook my head "I can't I need to change, I'm all wet"

"Fine" she replied huffily. I tried to ignore her attitude knowing she was really mad at herself and Guy and not everyone else but to be honest it was bloody hard.

I entered the tent and zipped it shut behind me deciding that silence might just be the better option as I carefully climbed over to my laid out sleeping bag to access my clean clothes.

I could hear Connie sniffling as I pulled a sweater over my head. I couldn't stand it any longer.

"Its not true you know" I say gently.

Connie looked up "What's not true?" she was so deep in her thoughts that she had forgotten that everyone had heard what Guy said.

"We all give a damn, even Guy does. He didn't meant it" I reply trying to sound like I wasn't taking sides.

"Thanks Jules" Connie finally cracked a smile.

Success! The only other female on the team was talking to me again.


	9. Storytelling

We did the usual campy stuff around the fire minus the rendition of "We are the Champions" again. We were all way too tired to sing anyway.

I sat in between Connie and Fulton trying not to listen to Portman bitch and moan about how we made extra mess for him to clean up with our little water fight. It was such a shame that he was Fulton's best friend otherwise I would have been the worlds biggest bitch towards him right then.

Coach Bombay was trying to lighten the mood a little by sharing some hockey stories with us from when he played in the Minors. Adam, Guy and Charlie were listening with great interest as they were probably the biggest hockey nuts I've ever met. Before I came to join the Ducks I thought I was bad.

Dwayne was keeping his distance from Connie although he kept glancing at her before turning away looking a million times guilty than what he did before.

"Okay Ducks so we're going home tomorrow" Bombay was giving us the instructions about packing up our little campground properly.

"Thank god for that" Connie whispered to me.

I had to agree with her. Although it had been the best camping trip I've ever been on, it was definitely starting to wear thin, especially because everyone was so tired and grumpy.

"I thought you'd be keen to stay a few extra days with Fulton" Connie nudged me.

"Yeah I do but this whole camp thing is starting to bug me. Its making everyone crazy, we should be happy not fighting with each other" I say realising I must have just sounded like a Dr Phil clone.

Connie wrinkled her nose. I've noticed that she does that whenever she's trying to think of something to say.

"Me and Guy are NEVER getting back together, at the moment I'm likely to decapitate him with my hockey stick or slit his throat with my skates" Connie's reaction to my statement was certainly colourful.

"Should I be worried? I mean you're not becoming homicidal or anything are you Moreau?" Portman had heard the last part of our conversation.

Fulton looked even paler than usual. He knew Connie a whole lot better than I did. Maybe she was being serious.

"Depends on who I feel like killing at the time. Wanna become a homicidal maniac with me Portman?" Connie replied with a strange look.

Portman grinned "Hell yeah" he replied.

"Guys, you're not serious are you?" my voice is barely a whisper. I had trouble reading the look on Connie's face.

"PSYCH!" Connie yelled laughing hysterically.

"That wasn't funny!" I protested. The other Ducks were watching us with interest.

Portman joined in with the laughter.

"Oh Gaffney you should have seen your face!" he chuckled.

Fulton put a comforting arm around my shoulder.

"You guys suck" I complain. I had to laugh, she did have me worried for a moment then.

Fulton shot Connie and Portman a dirty look "That's not nice guys" he stuck up for me as he kissed me on the cheek.

"Hey Coach Mackay do you have anymore marshmallows?" Goldberg asked. He'd been calling her "Coach Mackay" ever since she'd saved us from elimination by pretending to be our Coach when Bombay was off having his midlife crisis.

"Yes Goldberg I do" Miss Mackay smiled as she left the group to get the marshmallows.

Averman snorted as Goldberg rubbed his hands together excitedly with anticipation.

"Fulton, Portman would you mind going to get enough suitable sticks for everyone?" Coach Bombay asked the Bash Brothers.

"Say what?" Portman hadn't been listening.

"Come on, idiot!" Fulton dragged his larger Bash Brother up by the back of his jacket and hauled him off.

I must say it was kinda funny to watch.

"Miss Mackay have I ever told you you're my favourite tutor?" Averman asked with a grin as Miss Mackay returned with two large bags of marshmallows.

"Averman she's your _only _tutor" Charlie pointed out with a laugh.

"That wasn't my point Spazzway!" Averman shot back with a frown. His joke had been ruined once again.

Coach Bombay chuckled "Oh I still remember the first time I heard that from Karp, no offence Charlie but you sure showed me why they called you that"

Dwayne, Luis, Russ, Ken and I looked at each other confused _who the hell was Karp?_

"Dave Karp, one of the District 5 Ducks, he was like a keg on legs really" Goldberg explained getting impatient that the Bashes hadn't returned with the sticks.

"Goldberg how would you know what a keg looks like?" Adam retorted.

Goldberg just raised an eyebrow "Hello? My parents delicatessen is licensed you idiot!" he rolled his eyes.

"Oh sorry" Adam lowered his eyes to the ground.

I had to feel sorry for the cake-eater. Just when he thought he had a good insult for the others, they always shot it to pieces.

"Yeah the Karpilundi stopped the puck with his head once" Averman interrupted remembering the incident.

"Wait a minute y'all I'm confused, Coach why'd Charlie show ya why they called him _Spazzway_?" Dwayne asked.

Coach Bombay grinned as Charlie moaned. He hated this story.

"First game that I was coaching we were getting our butts whipped by the Hawks and Charlie finally got the puck and was on a breakaway. He looked good too. I think I said something like _come on _ or _alright_ or something like that when Karp politely informed me that, and I quote "Spazzway, he'll screw up", before Charlie took a shot, missed the puck completely and fell over before sliding into the boards" Coach explained.

The rest of us laughed at the tale except for Charlie who looked plain embarrassed.

"Tell us more about District 5" I ask. I always knew there were some original Ducks who didn't make it to Team USA and after hearing that I was now intrigued.

"There was the time Fulton got kicked out of the championship game" Goldberg started before Connie quickly told him to shut up.

"What did I say?" Goldberg was mumbling.

"He got kicked out? Why?" I ask ignoring the glances the original Ducks were giving each other.

Connie looked defeated. She waved her hand at Goldberg as if she were giving the green light to go ahead.

"Coach made this really cool play with Tammy and Tommy Duncan doing their little figure skating thing, anyway Tammy starts spinning in front of the net and the Hawks are just staring at her then Tommy gives her the signal, he passes the puck and BAM! She scores" Goldberg explained.

"What does that have to do with Fulton?" Luis asked before I had a chance to.

"Well McGill knocked Tammy over on purpose as she was skating back to the box and Fulton got mad and flipped him over the bench and started picking a fight with the rest of the Hawks, that's why he got kicked out" Goldberg continued.

I could feel several pairs of eyes burning into me. I knew they were waiting on my reaction. I wasn't jealous, I mean Fulton didn't even know me back then and he was just protecting a teammate. He'd do the same thing for any of us.

"Cool" I reply wishing I'd come up with something better to say than that.

"So any more stories?" Ken asked politely trying to take the focus off of me for which I was thankful. I was starting to feel like a test subject.

"Connie and Guy making out on TV!" Charlie hooted.

"Shut up Conway" Guy warned.

"Who made out on TV?" Portman and Fulton had returned and Portman was wanting to know the details.

I saw the grin on Fulton's face as it registered what we were talking about.

"Connie and Guy were making out when we won the Pee Wee Championship game and when it was broadcast on the news they showed the footage of them kissing. It was so funny" Charlie finished. He'd teased his two best friends for weeks after that.

"It was embarrassing!" Connie grumbled.

"Hey how come you didn't make out with me when we won the _World _Championship?" Portman tried to sound hurt.

"Because I didn't want to!" Connie laughed.

Wait a minute! Was Portman flirting with Connie? I thought they couldn't stand each other.

Guy remained silent. I felt a little sorry for him, first he breaks up with Connie, then she starts flirting shamelessly with Dwayne, they have a huge fight, their first real kiss is dragged up as a camp story and labelled funny and now Connie was all chummy with Dean Portman, a guy she swore she didn't like at all.

Unfortunately Fulton decides to ask "What stories did we miss?" to which Luis gleefully replies.

"Oh just telling Julie about how you got kicked out of a championship game for your old girlfriend Tammy"

"Tammy wasn't my girlfriend" Fulton protested. I don't know who he was trying to convince more, me or the other Ducks.

"Sure Fulton, sure. You never got yourself kicked out of a game for me. Frankly I'm hurt!" Averman pretended to be wounded.

"That's because half the time you deserve to be knocked down for your comments!" Jesse stuck up for Fulton.

"I resent that!" Averman exclaimed.

"So tell us another story, I like hearing about all y'all adventures" Dwayne spoke up.

Averman looked at Charlie "Well there was the dog shit purse" he said slowly knowing that the others would be dying to hear that story.

"Averman, its poop not sh…well that word" Coach Bombay scolded almost tripping himself up over the words.

"C'mon tell us!" everyone was urging. It appeared that only Charlie and Averman knew what was going on with that story.

"Are you okay?" Fulton whispered to me as Charlie was starting to tell the story.

"Yeah why wouldn't I be?" I replied knowing exactly why he was asking me.

"She was never my girlfriend you know" he looked me in the eyes as he spoke.

"I believe you" I said reaching out for his hand.

"Good" he replied.

"SSHHH! We're trying to hear the story" Portman scolded from his place next to Connie.

"Sorry" we both mumbled and sat back to tune into Charlie's story about the dog shit, sorry poop, purse and the dickhead that chased them.


	10. And then there were four

"So, its our last night before you go back to Maine" Fulton commented to me as we sat watching the last of the embers dying out on the fire. Coach Bombay had been rather lenient on our bedtime tonight as the only Ducks let awake were Fulton, Portman, Connie and I.

I nodded not really sure what I was meant to say to that. Fulton returned his gaze back to the dying fire.

Connie and Portman were discussing the monetary amount they'd accept to do things like jump off a bridge, eat various disgusting things and the dares they'd do.

"I got one!" Connie sat up excitedly. Portman's eyes grew wide in anticipation.

"Go on" he encouraged.

"How much would you take to dive into a tank of sharks covered in fish guts" Connie finished.

I wrinkled my nose, where the hell does she come up with this stuff.

Portman licked his lips and leaned forward.

"Three million" he named his price.

"Why three?" Connie questioned.

Portman shrugged "Sounded like a good number"

Connie laughed.

This conversation went on for a while. I eventually tuned out leaning my head on Fulton's shoulder.

"You okay Cat?" he asked as he rubbed my shoulders.

"Yeah just relaxing" I answered with a small smile. The truth was I was thinking about Eden Hall and how I could convince my mother to allow me to go.

"Good" Fulton whispered laying a kiss on my cheek.

It really felt good just sitting there with him, even if Connie and Portman's conversations were getting weirder by the minute. They were now comparing bruises, scars and cuts and telling the stories behind each of them. I think Connie's found herself a new best friend.

I saw Portman let out an enormous yawn and its true what they say yawning is contagious. I found myself getting really tired but I didn't want to leave my spot next to Fulton. Who knew when I would see him again and I was determined to make the most of it.

I snuggled further into Fulton turning so that I was now facing him with my head on his chest and my arms tightly wrapped around his waist. I felt him respond by rubbing his hands up and down my back, never once going below my waist.

It's nice to know you're respected.

The last thing I remembered hearing was the slow crackling of the firewood that had now been reduced to black chips as I felt myself losing the battle to stay awake.

I opened my eyes to find myself in the tent I shared with Connie.

Why was Connie on me? I ask myself when I realised I had a weight on my arm.

Damn she weighs a tonne.

I glanced down at the mass of dark hair noticing that it was really dark. I just put it down to Connie's hair being all smoky from the fire as I watched her sleeping next to me.

Something didn't really look right. Upon further inspection I saw that it wasn't Connie sleeping next to me at all, I was stunned to find Fulton there. He shifted slightly in his sleep moving his arm to cover me as he shuffled his weight to rest against my back. I could hear him murmur slightly before he settled into the steady pattern of his light snoring.

Normally people snoring is rather annoying but I actually found that Fulton's snoring had some kind of calming effect on me, like it was letting me know that everything would be okay.

Oh boy maybe I've been listening to Connie and Portman's ramblings for way too long and my mind is turning crazy now.

I chose to go with it, pushing any crazy thoughts out of my head, especially thoughts about what Coach Bombay would have to say if he walked in right now, and allowed myself to drift off to sleep again.

I wish we could lay there forever but unfortunately we were rudely woken by Connie and Portman poking us.

"Dude wake up! Bombay's coming" Portman hissed sitting down.

"Make yourself comfortable" Connie commented sarcastically.

Portman shot her a grin "Don't mind if I do" he replied pulling her into the tent and zipping it shut behind her.

"What are you doing?" Connie asked. The tent was definitely way too small for four people, especially when two of the four are enormous teenage boys.

"Looks less suss if we're all in here" Portman replied calmly. I kinda got the feeling he'd been in this situation before. It wouldn't surprise me, that was one of the areas he differed from Fulton, Fulton got shy around girls he liked and Portman was full of confidence.

I admit I really prefer the first choice and not because Fulton was my, well I guess you'd say he was my boyfriend, but for how long?

"Well Bombay better hurry up, I'm all squished in here" Connie complained shoving Portman.

Portman responded by grabbing Connie and physically placing her on the ground next to him. He was obviously aware that if he'd tried to place her in his lap he'd be limping out of the tent as opposed to walking.

I sat up rubbing my eyes. I could hear Bombay giving instructions to someone outside, probably Charlie.

Fulton sat up next to me. It provided much needed room.

"So how come you were in here anyway?" I decided to ask before Bombay broke up the little party.

"You wouldn't let me go, you have a grip like a vice. Even in your sleep" Fulton laughed.

Connie and Portman joined in until Connie remembered that she had to share a tent with Portman.

"Fulton remind me NEVER to share an enclosed space with him again. He snores louder than a freight train and his feet stink!" she complained.

Portman grinned "Babe we're in an enclosed space now" he pointed out.

Uh-oh, he's used the 'babe' word again.

"Her name's Connie not 'babe'" Fulton laughed in a perfect imitation of Banksie that had us all in stitches, even Connie was laughing.

"What's going on in here?" Bombay unzipped the tent to find the four of us laughing our asses off.

He tried to subtly sniff the air as if we'd been smoking cones and getting high and that was the reason for the laughter. He seemed satisfied that we weren't on drugs when he calmly informed us that we needed to unhitch the tents and pack our stuff up within the next hour.

Great! An hour is all we get to be together as a team before we're separated into different minivans and taken to the airport.

Wait what am I saying? There are only three people that I really want to see and they're sitting right in front of me. I'm sure we're all going to be in the same van but after the airport we're gonna be separated for a long time.

Connie kicked Portman and Fulton out of our tent so that we could get dressed. The boys reluctantly left the tent and it was obvious the rest of the team were outside because we could hear the catcalls and whistles from Averman and Goldberg.

"GRRRR! That is so immature" Connie exploded.

"Yeah I know but that's what you get" I replied absently as I pulled out the remainder of my clean clothes from my pack.

We got changed in silence each of us hastily throwing our dirty clothes into our packs and rolling up the sleeping bags.

"Well lets get this tent down, I must admit I'm looking forward to sleeping in my own bed tonight" Connie said.

I agreed "Yeah, even an airplane seat seems better than this"

All flights to Maine had been booked out and the only flight I could get left Minnesota at 11.00 pm. It didn't bother me, I could sleep most of the way and I got to spend a few extra hours with Fulton.

We emerged from our tent after throwing our packs and sleeping bags out onto the dirt. We weren't really caring at this stage.

I was surprised to find that our tent and the Bashes tents were the only ones left and that everyone else's stuff had been packed into the vans already.

"Wow nice of someone to let us know we were leaving so early" Connie whispered to me.

I had to agree, it was a little rude of them but at least we didn't get caught sleeping with a boy in our tent. They seemed to dislike us enough already.

Twenty minutes had passed and finally our stuff was packed away in the last van. We had to share it with Ken, Jan and Tibbles. I didn't really mind though, Jan knew when to keep quiet but we could always throw Tibbles out of the window if he got too bad and Kenny was pretty cool. He wasn't the little Bash Brother for nothing.

Bombay called the team to gather around using that damn whistle again. When will he get over it?

He gave us some speech as to how we've done our Country proud and that he hopes to see us all in Minnesota attending Eden Hall as a 'family' was the word he used.

Pft, didn't feel like much of a family at the moment. Every one was off in their own little groups, having their own little quarrels. The togetherness they'd forced upon us during the break at the championship game with the whole "Ducks Fly Together" speech had long disappeared.

I guess Ducks only Fly Together when the world was watching.


	11. Separating the Flock

So here is the last chapter for the first part. I honestly wasn't holding out on you guys as it is now four times longer than the usual chapters and it took so damn long to write! Enjoy

_**Second part will start in a few days time.**_

The ride to the airport was surprisingly fun. I sat with my head nestled into Fulton's neck as I listened to Kenny tell the dirtiest jokes I had ever heard. Even Portman blushed slightly.

"Ken where the hell did you hear that one?" Connie asked. Her personality had done a complete 180 since she dumped Guy. Ordinarily something like that would have seriously offended her but today she was lapping it up.

"Figure skaters aren't all about classical music and being prissy and San Fran has some real dirty skaters" Ken answered.

"Hey there's one of the Ducks vans" Portman replied standing up.

I knew what he was about to do.

"Portman no! we don't want to see that" I exclaimed but it was too late.

Portman had mooned the van that contained Adam, Averman, Goldberg, Dwayne and Luis. I didn't even want to know who the adults in that van were.

I buried my face in Fulton's shoulder until I was sure he'd pulled his pants back up.

Connie was laughing hysterically as was Ken.

"Oh man did you see the look on Dwayne's face!" Connie choked out.

"Classic!" Portman high fived Connie.

I stole a glance at the front seat to see Tibbles not paying much attention to what we were doing and Jan was shaking his head with a small grin. Obviously he knew how to take a joke.

"Well here we are, lets go find your coach" Tibbles announced as he pulled up into the temporary parking zone.

"So who's first out of here?" Connie asked looking from me to Ken and then to Portman.

"I've got a noon flight with Russ then I have to fly from LA to San Fransisco" Ken announced.

"My flights at 2" Portman bent down so that Connie could climb onto his back.

Well that's a new revelation. Guy is going to be incredibly pissed off now.

The rest of the group looked at me "Mines a graveyard flight" I replied.

"A what?" Connie and Fulton asked.

"Graveyard flight, in the middle of the night. I leave at 11" I replied.

"So I get you for a while yet" Fulton whispered.

"Looks like it" I replied happily accepting the kiss he was offering me.

"I guess we'd better find the others" Connie ordered her little 'piggy' to carry her through the airport.

Fulton, Ken and I loaded the bags onto a trolley, including Portman and Connie's who apparently had forgotten they had their stuff in the van as they walked off towards the domestic flights entrance.

"So little Bash Bro, you'll be coming back for this preppy school thing will you?" Fulton asked Ken.

Ken nodded "Yeah, wouldn't miss it for the world, what about you guys" he asked.

Fulton shrugged "Depends on how preppy it is"

I remained silent. I didn't want to drop a bombshell on the boys just yet.

"Jules?" Ken asked.

I avoided Fulton's concerned gaze feeling incredibly guilty as I put on a fake smile

"Sure" I lied.

"Cool" Ken replied skipping ahead to activate the automatic doors so that we could push the trolley through.

"Hey guys over here!" I heard Charlie's voice ring out.

Well he sounds much happier.

I caught a glimpse of Connie and Portman wandering around the entrance looking for the rest of the team.

"I'm gonna go get them" I say to Fulton as I walk off before giving him a chance to follow.

"Guys we're over there" I pointed out Charlie and he rest of the Ducks.

"I told you it was them!" Connie scolded Portman.

"No you didn't" he protested.

"Yes I did!" Connie argued back.

"DID NOT!" Portman yelled charging forward with Connie still on his back.

The Ducks heard the commotion of Connie yelling at Portman to slow down and Portman laughing his ass off as he ran straight through the group of Ducks jumping over various bags that were in his way.

Most of the Ducks laughed except for Guy and Charlie who looked annoyed.

Coach Bombay shook his head. "Michelle what was in those marshmallows" he tried joking.

"Well lets get us checked in and we can all wait in the lounge together" Coach had recovered from the lack of response to his lame ass joke and was now trying to organise the group of unruly teenagers.

Portman had put Connie down and was now heading towards Fulton.

I took the opportunity to find out what was going on with him and Connie.

"Nothing we're just friends, as if I'd date that big ape" Connie was so convincing.

"You sure? You said he was pretty sexy" I teased her using the same lines she used on me when she was trying to set us up.

"Only cos I wanted you to think he was sexy!" Connie protested recognising the tactic I was adopting.

"Yeah right" I continue teasing her loving every minute of watching her squirm.

"Come on girls" I hear Charlie calling us.

"I overheard Adam telling Averman that Bombay made Charlie captain" Connie told me as we walked.

"Gee how nice to tell the whole team" I rolled my eyes. It seemed like we were being left out of everything lately.

"I know, shouldn't the team decide who gets to be captain?" Connie replied.

"Oh come on, we'd pick Charlie anyway" I laughed deciding not to let anything get to me.

"But that's not the point!" Connie fumed.

"What's not the point?" Coach Bombay decided to butt in at that precise moment.

"Nothing" Connie sulked before walking off to share the news with Portman and Fulton.

"Was it something I said?" Coach asked me. I had half a mind to yell _No it was what you DIDN'T say_ but instead I simply shrugged.

Coach seemed satisfied as he walked off to find Miss Mackay.

"Hey Julie when are you heading out?" Charlie had sidled up alongside me.

"Late, I leave at 11 tonight" I replied.

"Bummer about the late flight but hey we still get to see a little more of you" Charlie was acting as if everything was fine and dandy.

"Oh I heard you were made Captain. Congratulations" I find myself saying in a sickly sweet voice that makes me want to gag.

"Thanks but I wish Coach had've let the team decide" Charlie replied.

I stared at him. Suddenly he didn't seem so bad.

"I guess" I finally replied.

"Hey _Captain_" Portman cut in. I wasn't sure whether he was being nasty or just joking.

"Hey _Enforcer_" Charlie held his ground. Enforcer had been Portman's nickname before the Bash Brothers were born due to his brutal enforcing skills on the ice, well obviously.

"Julie!" Connie called me over to where she was standing with Fulton and Averman.

"We were thinking that since Portman is the second to last to leave at 2 and you have about 7 hours to kill after that we should go to the Mall of America for a few hours and then out to dinner. What do you reckon?" Connie bounced excitedly.

"Sounds good guys, um I think Portman might be about to rip Charlie's arms off about this Captain thing" I nudged Fulton for help.

"So?" Connie replied.

"So, I was talking to Charlie and he's just as upset that Coach didn't let the team pick the Captain as you are" I explained.

Connie's eyes softened.

"Really?" she asked. I knew she couldn't stay mad at her childhood friend for too long.

"Really" I confirmed as she marched over to Portman and Charlie.

"You know I'm still shaking from the ordeal of seeing his naked butt earlier" Averman leaned in and reported in my ear.

I had to laugh.

"Sorry Averman, I tried to stop him" I offer my sympathies to him. it had to be a pretty bad sight for them, now if it was Fulton's…..

Stop it! I scold myself bringing my mind back to the conversation at hand.

"Okay Ducks are we all checked in?" Bombay yelled above the commotion of the various separate conversations that were going on.

"YES" we all chorused. Believe me it wasn't fun standing in line for the past 20 mins.

"Okay then lets go wait in the lounge" Bombay had obviously seen and/or heard the comments from the other unimpressed passengers.

Damn it we just won gold for your country you ungrateful shits!

Well I am entitled to be a little self righteous every now and then aren't I?

United Airlines Flight 127 direct to Austin, Texas is now ready for boarding gate 42. All passengers must present their tickets and boarding passes for inspection at the gate.

The announcement tore into us like a bullet going through flesh. The first Duck was leaving and now it suddenly became real.

"Well golly that's me" Dwayne stood up

The rest of us looked at him sadly.

Dwayne broke into one of his trademark grins "Aint any of yas gonna give me a hug?" he asked cheekily as we all rushed forward.

You see we were suddenly acting like a little family again now that the flock was being separated.

My turn to hug the Cowboy came around.

"Now you'd be better practisin' your cat moves Julie if we're gonna be on this high school team" Dwayne joked.

I had to laugh, Dwayne was probably the only person who could say that without sounding like a condescending asshole.

"And you'd better be practising those puck skills Cowboy" I teased back "You're still to get a shot by me"

"Well dang Julie I'll just have to do that" he grinned before turning to Connie.

"I'll be seeing you pretty lady at that Eden Garden place" Dwayne told her.

Connie burst out laughing "Eden _Hall_ Dwayne" she giggled.

"Oh right" Dwayne looked sheepish and he gave Connie a kiss on the cheek and told her not to be a stranger and that his horses would love to meet her.

We stood together as we watched the first Duck walk away from the flock.

I wonder who was next?

It seemed like Dwayne had been gone for like 3 seconds when the stupid announcer came over the intercom system

United Airlines Flight 279 to Miami Florida via Washington is now ready to board 

"Dude you have to go to Washington first?" Russ asked.

Luis nodded "Yeah I know it sucks huh" 

Luis took turns in hugging each and every one of us. I almost blurted out that I had a stopover in Cincinnati AND Boston before finally arriving in Bangor 6 hrs later. But no one wants to hear my woes; someone up there definitely hates me! The trip from Bangor to Minnesota in the first place took 9 hrs with stopovers in Milwaukee and Detroit. Whoever booked my flights has some 'splainin to do".

Well at least I get to piss my mother off with the 5am wakeup call.

So there goes the second Duck as we watched Luis and his gel-slicked hair exit the lounge.

I checked my watch. In an hour it would be Russ and Ken's turn. Those poor guys had to ride with Tibbles who was heading back to LA to resume his "president of vice" (ie Vice President) duties for Hendrix Hockey.

I sat down with Connie leaving Fulton and Portman to 'bond' with their little Bash Brother before he had to leave. I kept experiencing this wave of incredible sadness and couldn't help but wonder whether I would see any of these people again.

Then I was interrupted by Russ' loud voice.

"It'd be all good if Tibbles got us the flight with the Vegas stop over but nooooo he goes and gets the Phoenix one!" I overheard him telling Charlie who was in stitches.

"Dude that's classic" Charlie was laughing. I could see Guy and Adam talking quietly in one corner lost in their own little world. Every so often one of them would glance in the direction of Russ and Charlie with a sad look. I guess they never realised what things might be like if Charlie made a new friend.

And then the announcer went off again

_United Airlines flight 1467 to Los Angeles California via Phoenix is now ready for boarding_.

Well now that we had two teammates to hug this one took a little longer.

Then Tibbles decided _he _wanted hugs from everyone, including the Bash Brothers.

Connie and I stifled laughs as Tibbles grabbed each of Portman and Fulton in a big hug telling them how proud he was of them. Portman looked ready to kill whilst Fulton just looked scared stiff.

"Jules can I borrow your camera?" Fulton asked me as Portman shifted from foot to foot anxiously.

"Sure" I replied taking my camera out of my carry on bag.

"Well be back in an hour tops" Fulton told me and I couldn't help but be a little disappointed.

I could tell Connie was too; she'd wanted to spend a little more time goofing off with Portman before he left for Chicago.

"You wanna go get some donuts?" I asked Connie hoping that some chocolate iced donuts would cheer her up.

Connie nodded as Goldberg asked if he could come too.

"Sure Goldberg" I replied knowing that he would probably cry if we said no and I'm not that mean.

That prompted Averman to come too.

We returned to the lounge a good three quarter of an hour later just in time to see Fulton hastily shoving something into his backpack.

I wonder what he's hiding there? Oh well he'll tell me if he wants me to know.

"Hey just in time!" Portman yelled giving us a goofy grin. The pair of them had been up to something.

"In time for what?" I ask cautiously. Over the three weeks I have known Dean Portman I have found that he is always full of surprises.

"In time for lunch I'm starving!" he announced laughing hysterically.

I look at Fulton who simply shrugged.

"I guess he's hungry" he replied softly.

"Come on Cake-Eater lets get some grub!" Portman yelled to Banksie who was now sitting by himself.

Banks smiled awkwardly and followed the crowd of Ducks to the airport lounge cafeteria.

"We just had donuts Portman" Connie complained as he ordered her a cheeseburger.

"So? I'm paying so quit complaining" Portman replied turning back to the girl behind the counter. She was quite good looking for someone wearing a McDonalds uniform and I was honestly surprised when Portman didn't start flirting with her. Instead he kept most of his attention on Connie.

Connie rolled her eyes and accepted that Dean Portman was buying her lunch whether she liked it or not.

"Are you hungry?" Fulton asked me as he raised an eyebrow at his friend's antics.

"Nah I ate just before" I replied.

"Okay" Fulton replied softly taking hold of my hand. His touch felt nice at that moment.

Fulton and I stood to one side watching the rest of the Ducks eat and I must say it's not a pretty sight.

Charlie still hadn't learnt the concept of chewing with his mouth closed and it looked like I wasn't the only one disgusted by it, Adam was giving him a dirty look before he finally snapped.

"Charlie we want the news not the weather"

The rest of the Ducks looked at him in shock.

"Mmmph?" Charlie answered with his mouth full.

"CHEW WITH YOUR DAMN MOUTH CLOSED!" he yelled attracting the attention of other passengers.

Charlie stared at him in shock.

"What crawled up your ass and died?" Portman asked the smaller boy.

"Nothing" Banks mumbled before clamming up.

Charlie just shrugged and continued eating. Doesn't anything faze that boy?

"Portman you'd better hurry up or you'll miss your flight" Connie told him looking at the clock on the wall above his head.

"Oh okay" Portman gave Connie a look that I couldn't read. It was a mixture of admiration, disappointment and something else I couldn't quite place.

We got back to the lounge just as Portman's flight was being called. At least he got a direct flight.

"Well it was fun while it lasted" Portman grinned at us all.

I couldn't help but smile. For the enormous goon who was the first one out of Team USA I'd met, he turned out to be a decent guy.

"Jules, pity you didn't pick me but at least it was Fulton, anyone else and I'd kick their ass" he laughed pulling me into a bear hug.

"Umm thanks…..I think" I say hugging him back.

"You be good to him okay" he whispered kissing my cheek.

"Err okay" I replied.

Huh? What was that about?

When I looked up was hugging Connie and telling her to be good otherwise he'd come back just to annoy her.

Connie laughed and then it was time to move on to Fulton.

The pair butted chests before having a little "manly" hug and finally knocking knuckles.

"Take care bro" Fulton said to his new best friend.

"Cheers dude, don't do anything I wouldn't do" Portman laughed.

"Dude that doesn't leave much" Fulton joked back.

We watched Portman as he made his way through the lounge heading towards his plane.

All of a sudden he dropped his bags, turned around and ran back to the group making a beeline for Connie.

We all watched his shock as he lowered his head to meet hers and pressed his lips to Connie's.

When he broke away Connie just glared at him.

"What? I had to tell my friends back home I kissed at least one of you girls!" he laughed before running off to collect his bags again.

Connie's angry face was replaced by a laugh when she realised it was pretty funny.

"So, only one more left" Coach Bombay tactlessly announced when Portman's huge form was out of sight.

Fulton instinctively moved closer to me and placed a tight grip on my waist.

I smiled politely secretly wanting to rip Bombay's head off. He'd been nothing short of a jerk during the camping trip.

"So Mall of America?" Averman asked excitedly.

"Yeah" I exclaimed. I've always wanted to see the huge mall.

We ditched Miss Mackay and Coach Bombay and took one of the buses to the Mall of America. When we arrived I was in awe, this place was huge!

"Ride the coaster with me?" Fulton asked sweetly. How could I resist that face?

"Sure" I replied making him smile even wider.

He grabbed my hand and we got the front seats with Averman and Connie behind us, Charlie and Jesse behind them, Adam and Guy behind them and Goldberg on his own at the rear.

"This is awesome" Fulton gushed and I had to wonder whether he had a secret fetish for roller coasters.

"Yeah its fun" I agree holding his hand the whole way.

We got off of the ride and the others all announced what it was they wanted to do. In the end we decided to see a movie since we didn't have much money and Averman could get us in for free.

I let the others pick the movie and Fulton and I got a seat far away from the rest of the group.

"Hey Fult, don't you wanna see the killer robots?" Jesse yelled out.

"Nah" Fulton replied giving me a cheeky grin. I knew what it was he wanted to do instead because it was exactly what I wanted to do.

After 2 hours of non-stop making out we emerged from the theatre with bruised lips and enormous grins. We ignored the kissing noises the other Ducks were making at us and Fulton teased them by swooping in for another long, fantastic kiss.

"Ugh!" "Gross!" and "Get a room" seemed to be the favourite sayings from the rest of the Ducks.

"So what do we want to do now? The malls closing now" Averman asked.

I glanced at my watch, it was already 5.30. Only five and a half hours left until we have to say goodbye.

"Pizza at Goldberg's?" Charlie suggested. I guess it meant another freebie.

"YEAH!" everyone agreed happily.

Goldberg opened the door to the delicatessen.

"Oh my baby returns!" a large jewish looking lady who I assumed was Mrs Goldberg gushed rushing forward to pinch Goldberg's cheeks.

The rest of the Ducks were laughing.

I glanced around the shop it looked like your average deli but when I looked at the counter I saw a huge trophy together with a big framed picture of Goldberg in his hockey pads above a sign that read "Our Son the Goalie".

"That's our pee-wee championship trophy" Fulton whispered to me.

"Cool" I replied.

"You must be Julie" Mrs Goldberg was coming towards me now.

I glanced at the other Ducks who were smirking knowingly at me as Mrs Goldberg swept me up into a big hug.

"Oh, your glove was just sensational!" she gushed.

"Um thanks" I replied starting to feel dizzy from the scent of her really overwhelming perfume.

She eventually let me go and Goldberg placed the order for the pizzas. Obviously the Ducks ate here a lot because Goldberg didn't even have to consult with the group to know what they wanted.

I squished into one of the booths in between Fulton and Connie. Averman was on the other side of Connie and trying to squeeze in the booth was Adam.

"Fult is there any more room down there?" Connie asked.

Fulton was jammed up against the wall. Then he had an idea and that was to place me on his lap thus creating enough room for Adam.

"Charlie you are not sitting on my lap" Goldberg commented as he, Charlie, Jesse and Guy crammed into the opposite side of the booth.

"Aw but Goldie" Charlie pretended to pout.

"No but Goldie" Goldberg firmly protested making us laugh even harder.

Once they stopped being mad at you these guys were really fun to hang out with.

We stayed at Goldberg's for another couple of hours and Mr & Mrs Goldberg even provided us with dessert after all of the pizzas. They were obviously glad that their only son was home.

"Guys we'd better get back to the airport" Adam suggested quietly. I glanced at my watch; 9.30pm. he was right.

We practically waddled back to the bus stop with over stuffed tummies. We made it to the airport at 10.15pm to find Bombay, Miss Mackay and Jan waiting for us.

Wow! I actually didn't think Bombay would see me off but there he was.

A feeling of dread came over me as we entered the now all too familiar airport lounge. We'd said goodbye to so many friends and team mates over the course of the day and now it was my turn to say goodbye to the best friend I ever made (Connie) and the only boy I've ever truly liked (Fulton).

Three weeks seems like such a short time but it feels like I've known them forever.

I sit on Fulton's lap for the remainder of the time we had left as the rest of the Ducks surrounded us.

I could feel Fulton's lips on my neck and I sadly think that this would be what I'd miss the most, the feel of his soft lips on my skin.

Damn it why couldn't I live in Minnesota?

"Julie" Coach Bombay interrupted.

I looked up at him.

"Yes Coach?" I ask

Coach Bombay enters the group and sits down in front of me.

"We have an Eden Hall press conference in six weeks time. I will be contacting your parents to organise a meeting with them to discuss the possibility of you attending Eden Hall. You know to answer any questions they might have, soothe any concerns, that type of thing. Is that okay with you?" he asked.

I felt like kissing him at that moment, if I had him fighting for me to attend Eden Hall then maybe my mother might just change her mind. After all, in her mothers eyes, a young lawyer from Minneapolis can't be wrong can he?

"Yeah, thanks Coach" I grin.

United Airlines Flight 7250 to Bangor Maine stopping in Cincinnati and Boston is now ready for boarding

Well this is it.

I reluctantly stood up and collected my carry on bags.

"Jules, I got something for you but don't open it until you're on the plane" Fulton instructed handing me a purple giftbox. It was the one he was hiding in his backpack earlier.

"Thank you" I said softly kissing him on the cheek.

"Group hug!" Averman announced as the rest of the group crushed me and Futon in a giant hug.

Coach Bombay, Miss Mackay and Jan all took turns in hugging me. I was so glad Tibbles had left. One hug from him was enough.

The last in line was Fulton.

"Well" I said not sure what it was I wanted to say.

"Well" he said with a sad look on his face. It was heartbreaking to see that.

"I guess I'll see you" I said wishing I had something better than that to say.

"You'd better believe it baby" he finally smiled as he stepped towards me for one last kiss.

I didn't hear the usual shouts of "Get a room" and "Gross!" from the other Ducks and I melted into his embrace one last time.

"I have to go" I whispered hearing the final boarding call for my flight.

"I know" he whispered back.

"Good…" I started but Fulton pressed his finger to my lips.

"Don't say it" he smiled at me before kissing me on the forehead.

"Go" he ordered.

I waved one last time to the Ducks and the sight of Connie crying was more than enough to make me burst into tears too.

I blew a kiss to Fulton as I exited the lounge and made my way towards the plane still wondering.

Would I ever see him again?


End file.
